Happy Valentine’s Day from Story Time Chess!

Ah, Valentine’s Day, the one day every year when those chalky little candy hearts actually taste half-decent. At the risk of over-sugaring your young ones, here’s a fun Valentine’s Day story and mini-game for every skill level!

Supplies needed: 

• chessboard
• chess pieces
• at least 32 candy hearts (any small, Valentine’s-themed candy will work) 

Story:

King Chomper and King Shaky were the best of friends, so every year on Valentine’s Day they always gave each other cards and boxes of candy.

One Valentine’s morning, they each set out with their valentines in hand, but when they tried to meet in the middle of Chesslandia to exchange them, there was a problem: Everyone in Chesslandia had tried to send a valentine at the same time! There were so many, and they took up so much space, that King Chomper and King Shaky got trapped on opposite sides of the kingdom. 

“Oh no!” King Chomper cried. “There are valentines everywhere! What are we going to do?”

King Shaky’s knees began to knock with fright, but then a solution popped into his head. “I know!” he said. “Our knights might be able to clear a path by scooping up these pesky valentines!”

So the kings called out to Clip and Clop and they came galloping up. Slowly but surely, Clip and Clop gallop-gallop-stepped-to-the-side and cleared a path to the center of the kingdom!

Gameplay:

• Place a candy heart on each square of the middle four rows (ranks 3, 4, 5, and 6). Place King Chomper (the white king), King Shaky (the black king), two black knights, and two white knights on their starting squares. See the diagram below for exact setup:

 

• Choose colors. The player with the white pieces begins the game by using a knight to capture a Valentine’s candy from the middle. When a player captures a candy, they get to eat it! Take turns moving the knights until all the candies have been captured.
• Once the candies have been captured, take turns moving the kings to the center of the board. Once they are on adjacent squares, they can “exchange valentines,” ending the game.

Optional variations: ”Strand” two other matching pieces on either side of the candy barrier and use bishops, rooks, or pawns to clear the candies out of the center.